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Skin problems...Advice?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 8/25/2007 5:48 PM (GMT -6)
Months before I was diagnosed, I had awful skin problems (mostly red bumps on upper arms, legs, stomach) that no dermatologist could figure out. Once I was diagnosed, it was attributed to the Crohn's. However, I've noticed the worst of my skin problems are when I'm not having a particularly bad flare up.

In the past several days I've developed an AWFUL rash of red bumps that are spreading all over. I'm about to have my second remicade on monday and am tapering down my prednisone (15 mg) and generally feeling fine, but the appearance of this rash is making me worried that I'm about to flare up really badly again.

So, for those of you that deal with this as well, any advice? Any remedies you know of? When do your skin rashes generally appear? Before, after, during flare ups?
Posted 8/25/2007 6:20 PM (GMT -6)
I'm not going to be much help, other than to sympathize. Since about 6 months before I was diagnoised I have had skin issues. Hives that covered my entire body for head to foot that last two weeks, then I got big ugly red bumps on my legs (eurthym nodusum - which are related to crohns), when I ended up in the hospital I had small red pimple size soars all over my body (no one ever diagnoised these, I guess there were too many other pressing issues at that point), then I had psoriasis that was from scalp to feet - it has "healed" after 4 months of uvb treatments but now I have brown spots all over my skin which I am told are now scars. Some of these came before, some during major flares. My best advice is to see a Derm again and hopefully they will have some information for you. Hope that you find some answers soon,
Heather
Posted 8/26/2007 12:35 AM (GMT -6)
I am sorry that you are having skin problems.Lynn and I both can relate to what you are going through.I have Pyoderma Gangrenosum.It is related to the crohns and only about two percent of people with crohns has this skin disorder.It could be meds that are causing you to break out or even something that you are eating;.Have you changed soap or laundry detergent?if not you may want to go back and see a Dermatoloagist again and if they can't help then see another one.I hope that you get to the root of your problem and please let us know what you find out.
Posted 8/26/2007 12:45 AM (GMT -6)
I am 90% sure what you are describing is caused by the prednisone. Any corticosteroid used for even a short period of time can give you what is often referred to as "steroid acne". Doing a google search for "steroid acne" reveals an abundance of sites which I think will steer you in the right direction. Check out this link, which is the very first result:

http://dermnetnz.org/acne/steroid-acne.html

Do those pictures look familiar to you? I got that exact same rash from being on prednisone and Entocort. I went to several dermatologists and they all were blown away by how bad it was. They all said they've never seen something like this before.
Posted 8/26/2007 2:32 PM (GMT -6)
I do have some steroid acne on my chest, however this other rash is something that appeared WELL before I was diagnosed and well before I started any medication. Thanks for the responses! I'm going to go ahead and see how it is a few days after my second remicade, and then go from there. If anything interesting happens I'll let you know
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